Katie Connell and Leigh Faulk Cummings today announced the opening of their new law firm effective February 1, 2016. The firm will be known as Connell Cummings LLC and will be located at Cumberland Center in Atlanta’s Cumberland/Galleria area.
Connell Cummings brings together two of Georgia’s leading family law attorneys. Prior to forming Connell Cummings, Ms. Connell was a partner with Boyd, Collar, Nolen, & Tuggle and Ms. Cummings was a partner with Warner, Bates, McGough, McGinnis & Portnoy. The firm’s practice will encompass all family law-related issues including divorce, custody and visitation, alimony, child support, property division, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, paternity and legitimation, adoption, restraining and protective orders, and mediation and arbitration.
“Establishing our own law firm is a tremendous opportunity for Katie and me but especially for our clients,” said Leigh Cummings. “Having a smaller firm gives us the ability to continue providing the outstanding service that our clients expect and even enhance that service with more hands-on capability. When you are working with successful professionals who find themselves in complicated family and financial situations, they want and deserve personal attention. This platform makes that easier to achieve.”
“Family law is a distinct area that creates a very special attorney-client relationship like none other in the legal profession,” said Katie Connell. “Leigh and I understand that clients want to hire an attorney they feel comfortable going on an exceptionally personal and sometimes difficult journey. A client’s comfort level is heightened when he or she is working directly with a family law attorney who is also one of the firm’s owners. We see this as a significant advantage when clients are looking to hire their legal counsel.”
Ms. Connell has been a trusted advisor to clients and a dynamic force in the state’s family law community for over a decade. Recently, she was reappointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the Georgia Commission for Child Support as well as being asked to be a board member for the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law American Inn of Court -- a distinguished legal organization that promotes excellence in professionalism and ethics. Ms. Connell was selected for the 2012 Georgia Association of Women Lawyers Leadership Academy. She was named to the 2008 Child Support Commission’s Child Support Electronic Worksheet Task Force and was a member of the 2008 Leadership Academy for the State Bar of Georgia.
Ms. Connell was chosen for the prestigious 2013 Fulton County Daily Report “On the Rise” listing, is annually selected as one of Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite,” and on numerous occasions has been named a Super Lawyer or Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine. She is a sought-after speaker on a wide-range of family law topics and is a go-to source for some of the nation’s top publications including The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report.
Ms. Connell, a native of Savannah, is a graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. She earned a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from Auburn University, and a Masters in Accounting from Auburn University.
Ms. Cummings, who has practiced family law exclusively for nearly 15 years, is one of Georgia’s most renowned attorneys in the family law arena. She is a long-time member of the Family Law Sections of both the State Bar of Georgia, where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section, and the Atlanta Bar Association. Ms. Cummings also serves on the Executive Committee of The Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law American Inn of Court where she serves as the program chair. Early in her career, she held a number of high-profile leadership positions with the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and in 2008 received the Young Lawyers Division Award of Achievement for Outstanding Service to the Public.
After being named a “Rising Star” and “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine, Ms. Cummings has also been recognized as one of the “Top Women Attorneys in Georgia” by Super Lawyers magazine. She has also been selected as one of Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite.” Ms. Cummings is a frequent lecturer on various family law topics, including divorce, prenuptial agreements, and the financial considerations of divorce. Her expert commentary on these topics and others has appeared in leading national, regional and local media outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Fulton County Daily Report.
A native Atlantan, Ms. Cummings is a graduate of The Lovett School and of the University of Virginia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. She received her law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law, graduating cum laude. While at Georgia State, Ms. Cummings attained the school’s Intellectual Property award and served as a member of the Honor Counsel.
“Opening Connell Cummings is an idea that emerged when Katie and I worked together as associates in the same firm over 10 years ago,” said Leigh Cummings. “It is very fulfilling to see it all come together.”
“Early on, we knew we would one day build our own firm,” said Katie Connell. “Our personality and work styles complemented each other so well that there was no doubt that this day would come.”